The Founder’s Heart

Society often expects nonprofits to operate on shoestring budgets—stretching every dollar to its limit, doing more with less, and often sacrificing sustainability for the sake of optics. But truly serving families—and serving them well—requires far more than goodwill. It requires employees. It requires infrastructure. It requires time, space, training, and care. And yes, it requires…

We’ve provided over 2,200 therapeutic photo sessions across six states, and our work now includes grief recovery support, mental health and wellness resources, community events, and photographer mentorship. Every single service is still offered completely free of charge, because we never want cost to be a barrier to care.

I want to talk about something else equally entangled with our mental health: grief. And more specifically, how we respond — or often, how we don’t quite know how to respond — when someone we care about is deep in the throes of it.

By Michelle L. CramerFounder and Executive Director of On Angels’ Wings It’s hard to believe, but On Angels’ Wings is nearly 11 years old now. When I founded the organization in 2013, I never fathomed the reach that it would have over a decade later, with more than 1500 families served through over 1800 photo…

Five days before the deadline, I came across an email in the abyss that is my inbox for an opportunity to attend a leadership cohort hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Global Leadership Institute. I didn’t know why at the time, but I felt like this was something I needed. So I scrambled, found some…

When I started On Angels’ Wings 10 years ago, I intended to fill a need in the 417 area. That was my vision, and we did 41 sessions in and around Springfield our first full year. By 2015, we were looking for volunteers in St. Louis because so many of the families we served at…

Michelle Slavens, newly “promoted” to Vice President of On Angels’ Wings in addition to her Support Coordinator role, reflects upon her nearly nine years with the organization, and her hopes for the future. After nine years with On Angels’ Wings, I’m stepping into the role of Vice President and reflecting upon my journey with the…

Nine years. Geez. I know ‘surreal’ gets overused a lot, but that doesn’t diminish it’s meaning for me. It really is hard to believe that On Angels’ Wing has existed for almost a decade. While you might think that I would save this post for that coveted 10-year mark, this year has a whole lot…

When I began doing bereavement photography nearly 15 years ago, the organization I volunteered for provided pictures for families in their most dire moments of distress, but nothing beyond that. It was so very hard for me to hand over a disc of photos to a family (back in the days before digital galleries) and…

There are other child bereavement photography services out there, but we stand out in a few ways. On Angels’ Wings is by no means competing with these other organizations. Our intention is to fill the gaps, whether that’s as a backup when other services aren’t available for an individual need; or through the extension of…